Opinion

Some have practically written themselves. Others have been a struggle to get anything on paper.

This is one of those columns.

It is hard to write about someone who you admire and love like a sister. The difficulty is not in knowing they will read your words. The problem comes in finding the right words to describe their selflessness and dedication to a cause.

It’s a bittersweet moment. I’m not sad, and this isn’t a loss. I feel as though I’ve had a good five year run and have enjoyed going into your homes, places of work, and wherever you might’ve been to wind down.

The old saying that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone is one that we all know too well. So often in our lives we think of this famous saying and feel its bitter bite.

Bittersweet too are our memories of the rapidly vanishing East Tennessee way of life we once enjoyed. Soon the witnesses to the pre-mall, pre-asphalt, pre-cell phone, pre-central heat and air, pre-Internet days will be gone forever. Already gone are many of the unique things that made East Tennessee life one of pleasure and contentment.

I am ready to gladly join those who have grown weary of the multitude of campaign signs we are seeing.

While I wholeheartedly support the candidates’ First Amendment right to have the signs and say whatever they want on them-I have grown tired of that right being misused.

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech not the freedom to put a campaign sign every 50 feet. As the election has inched closer, the public outcry about the number of signs has gotten louder. I don’t understand how some candidates can say they have yet to hear a complaint.

Many years ago, in the time when farmers worked their fields with oxen, and a John Deere tractor in every barn was a thing of fantasy, Pearl S. Buck published The Good Earth, her masterpiece about rural life in China. In The Good Earth, the manuscript that propelled Buck to fame and the Nobel Prize for literature in 1938, she told the story of Wang Lung, a poor farmer who overcame drought and countless other maladies to become one of the greatest landowners in China. As a farmer, Wang accumulated land for cultivation and personal wealth.

In the most recent editions of the Press political profiles of candidates in the upcoming election have been published. The hope was to assist voters in making informed choices at the polls.

A vote should stand for something. It should not be cast for a candidate because you went to school with someone or their signs are plastered throughout the county. A vote is an indication that you are confident in a person’s ability to not only lead but to make educated decisions that will benefit the majority of the population.

In recent weeks the Press has gotten a fair amount of criticism for our coverage of candidates seeking office in the county.

As a response to some of the hecklers, let me start by pointing out that there are more than 100 candidates on the Aug. 5 ballot. So in reality writing an exhaustive account of each politico’s credentials is not feasible for the 2.5 people that make up our news team.

A Friday night meet and greet at the Davis Chapel Community Center saw possibly more candidates attending the event than constituents. With over 100 people vying for an office that was really an easy task to accomplish once you think about it.

Most of the politicians seemed genuinely invested in this community. They also appeared to want it to become more solvent, educated area. Among the issues put on the table were narcotics. Many of the candidates chose to address this as a societal issue as well as a personal one.

Have you noticed in the LaFollette Press how they list the area churches? I was so impressed, there are 127 listed. Think of all the people’s lives that could be touched for Christ. We who are so thankful, who have accepted Christ should constantly be praying for others. When we find the opportunity to plant a seed, the Holy Spirit continues to touch their heart.

I have learned in the past year of motherhood that you cannot plan for everything, but you can take joy in the way things turn out.

And things turned out to bring me back to LaFollette with my growing family. I had planned a different route, but I am so happy to be back in my home and writing for the LaFollette Press again.

This could have been a difficult transition if not for the warm welcome from the community. Many friends and avid Press readers have greeted me with open arms. It makes me feel like this path was the right one at the right time.